


Rescued

by neitherbluenorgreen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comfort, Empath Reader, F/F, F/M, Group Cuddling, Kissing, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:52:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25272715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neitherbluenorgreen/pseuds/neitherbluenorgreen
Summary: Your abilities as an empath help you sense other's emotions and let you connect easily. But you need affection to survive. When the team rescues you from weeks in isolation and the weather forces you to spent the night in the wilderness, there's only snuggling to safe your life.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Rescued

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I was in need to soft!Bucky and love and happiness. There's only kissing and cuddling so far.

Boots thundering over the tarmac, echoing the rolling growl from above. The rain comes down hard, spraying up where it hits the ground. From somewhere comes a wailing sound, probably an alarm, but you can’t tell the direction. Its dark, water runs into your eyes and you’re exhausted from running. You sense your rescuers’ forms more than you can see them. You slip and a strong arm grips yours, keeping you from falling, dragging you on. You have no air to protest when you are dragged toward the aircraft waiting in the dark, only red lights and the sound of engines betraying its position. You hear gunshots further away, but you don’t stop, can’t stop now. You grip the metal ledge and heave yourself up, scrambling towards a corner, blindly fishing for something to strap you in. Everything lurches and the craft starts to hover, around you the soft curses and sharp barks of orders, somebody sitting down beside you. You wince as a flashlight shines into your eyes, it’s wielder grunting as they confirm your identity. Somebody pushes earmuffs onto your head, muffling the noise and you squeeze your eyes shut, but the lightning keeps flashing read before your eyelids. You make yourself small, burying your head in your arms and concentrate on breathing.  
You can’t tell how much time has passed when somebody shakes you awake. It’s not a gentle touch, but they probably have tried to rouse you for some time. You open your eyes to see the concerned faces of your friends. Somebody switched on the interior lights, while outside it’s still pitch-black. Sam’s hand is on your shoulder, Steve hovers on your other side, Nat is on one knee before you, checking you over. You swallow tears and smile and wince, but Nat gives the all clear, telling them nothing needs immediate attention. She nods at you and a quick smile conveys her relief, then she’s back in the cockpit, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat.  
Steve moves into the space she just vacated and draws you into a tight embrace. You try to relax into it, but a dull, throbbing pain in your hip and head make your movements slow and careful. His combat fatigues are rough against your exposed skin and when he draws back and looks you over, his face shows concern. Sam hands you a fleece sweater, which you pull over your head, grateful for the warmth   
You must have dozed off again, for you jolt away as the craft lands. It’s not a smooth landing and there are no signs of light outside, neither artificial nor natural.   
Steve opens the door and jumps out. The storm is still raging and rain sprays inside. Bucky leaves the cockpit and looks outside.   
You take off the earmuffs and hear him say: “The weather got to worse to stay in the air. Steve’s looking for shelter, but we probably have to hunker down in here.”  
Sam curses and starts rummaging through the boxes in the back. “We didn’t quite pack for a camping-trip,” he calls back. “There are just a few rations in here.”  
“It’s not like we’re snowed in for weeks,” Bucky replies. “We’re on neutral ground, no signs of being followed. We’ll be on our way by noon.”  
He shuts the door again and sits down next to you.   
“Hey,” he says with a smile.   
“Hey yourself,” you mumble. Your lips are dry and you feel so tired.   
“Has anybody had the presence of mind to feed you something?” he asks, and you weakly shake your head. He pats down his pockets and fishes a protein-bar out.   
While you nibble on it, the others move around and try to make more space so people can stretch out. Luckily there are blankets on board, and they build a kind of nest, pushing boxes away and moving seats. You crawl into a corner and lie down.   
“She’s too cold,” you hear Sam’s voice, his tone tense. “I don’t think the blankets are helping.”  
Somebody touches your forehead and Nat curses.   
“Did anybody ask her what they did to her?” she demands to know. The silence that follows speaks for itself.   
“They probably drained all her mental energy. She needs to re-fuel, asap!”  
Nat knows you and your abilities. She’s a good friend. You feel safe. Instinctively you reach out with your mind, reaching for her, but vertigo slams into you. Even through you’re lying still, the world spins around you and you whimper. Immediately Nat is there, removing the mountain of blankets the guys covered you with.   
“Hey, hey,” she murmurs soothingly. “Don’t try to reach out.”  
Not reaching out is hard when you’re among your friends. You enjoy the swirl of their emotions around you, but even just sensing their feelings costs more energy than you have left.  
“What do you mean, re-fuel?” Sam asks haltingly. “Bucky gave her something to eat.”  
You hear Nat scoff. “I bet those assholes never stopped to ask what she needs to keep her mental abilities going. She’s touch-starved. She needs love.”  
You smile. Nat really cares about you. Just as you care about her and the others. You really love all of them. As an empath, you can feel what they are feeling. You can tell if they are lying or if they are angry. Your captors tried to use you for interrogations, but you only could tell them if somebody was lying, not what they were hiding. And Nat is right. They fed you and didn’t hurt you, but that wasn’t enough. There was a reason some called you a succubus: you needed affection, or you’d die.  
You had been lucky to find the Avengers. All of them were decent and loving, even if some of them had trouble admitting it to themselves. Since you joined them, you had become some kind of counselor, helping them get back in touch with themselves. Tony had suffered in silence, not admitting he had PTSD. Bucky was guilt-ridden and only slowly learned to open himself. Steve didn’t even realize that he was constantly putting his own needs on hold for others. Natasha only thought in terms of debts and duty.  
Nat helps you up and strips off the fleece sweater. Her hands are warm, and she gently rubs circles over your skin.   
“Hey, babe,” she whispers. “Why didn’t you tell those dunces you need attention?”  
You lean into her touch and smile. “I know they are a bit nervous about it,” you explain. “They have a great many misconceptions.”  
Sam and Bucky are hovering close to you. You feel their nervousness. You don’t want them to be uncomfortable, but you also know that you’re in danger of falling into a coma. Nat kisses you softly on your forehead, her hands moving over your skin.   
“What can we do?” asks Sam. His voice is quavering with nervousness, but also concern. He doesn’t want you to get hurt.   
“We could cuddle,” you suggest shyly. “I know in my heart that you all love me, but my brain needs to feel it right now.”  
“Cuddling, okay,” he repeats and sits down next to you.   
“The less clothes, the better,” you add, which is true, but also not really what Sam is used to. He takes off his jacket.   
“We’re all friends here,” he announces, “and there’s nothing to be ashamed off.”  
His pulls you against his broad chest and holds you carefully. His chin rests against your neck.   
“Thank you,” you say and close your eyes, basking in the feeling of being among people who know and appreciate you. Nat pulls away and discards her catsuit. Her underwear is functional and plain, but you think she’s beautiful. She doesn’t need frills or lace to be sexy, her poise and confidence is enough. She leans against Sam and entangles her legs with yours, her fingers drawing infinity-patterns on your skin.   
Sam shifts a bit, but you know he’s not uncomfortable, but unsure. It’s not something you practice at the compound.  
You look up as you hear leather hit the floor and see Bucky undressing. Other than Sam he has no qualms about stripping down to his boxer-shorts. He sits down on Sam’s other side, his legs stretched alongside yours and he takes your hand, braiding his metal fingers with yours. You hum contentedly and enjoy the warmth of your friends.   
“This is kinda nice,” says Sam and you giggle. “Your culture is far too strict about who can cuddle with whom,” you say. “As if love was a commodity with limited supply.”  
He shrugs, but you sense his amusement.   
“Sam, are you planning on proposing group-snuggling at the compound?” Bucky asks teasingly. Sam laughs.   
“It’s not even such a bad idea. Though I can’t quite picture it,” he admits. “Though movie-nights already come close, hu?”  
You nod. “Of course. Even combat-hardened Avengers need affection. It’s what I’m trying to teach all of you.”  
Nat snorts. “It would be easier if we didn’t have to be alert and aggressive on missions. There’s a reason we mostly leave you at home, honey.”  
“I know,” you sigh. “I feel the pain and hurt when you come back. I would probably cripple me if I were to join you in a real fight.”  
“It’s nice having somebody to come home to,” Bucky says and you’re a bit surprised. Even if he’s opened up to you, he rarely opens up around the others. You feel more and more of your strength return, albeit slowly. It’s as if energy flows between the four of you and although you receive more than you give, it’s a slow process.   
“It’s true,” Sam agrees and kisses your hair. “We’ve been a family before, but you made the compound a home.”  
“I swear, I even saw Rodney smile once,” Bucky deadpans. Sam barks out a surprise laugh, which sets Nat off and soon all of you laugh.   
“I’ll be happy to be back in my own bed,” you muse after a while.   
Bucky’s hand tightens on yours. “How was it?”  
“It was strange. I think they are some sort of cult, worshiping the Kree. They thought I was Inhuman and that I could read the minds of their prisoners. They treated my rather respectfully but kept me isolated. I sensed that there was discord brewing, even before you came to rescue me.”  
“We’ll have to deal with them,” Nat sighs. “Praying to the Kree is one thing, but kidnapping and using people never ends well.”  
“They’ll have some problems with their infrastructure for a while,” Bucky comments in satisfied tone.   
You lean forward and lean your cheek on his shoulder.   
“Thank you for getting me out of there,” you say earnestly. “I don’t know what they’d done if I’d been comatose.” You shudder at the thought, knowing that they might have tried to take you apart to find out what was wrong. He raises his free hand and cups your cheek.   
“Don’t ever worry about that, Sweetheart,” he says firmly. “We’d never let that happen.”  
You press a kiss to Bucky’s cheek. He looks a bit surprised, but a smile plays around his lips.  
“He’s right,” Nat chimes in. “He almost had to be constrained or he’d just immediately have raced off after you. Steve managed to talk him down, so we could plan it properly.”  
“He’s a man of action,” Sam chuckles.   
“You are, too,” you say.   
He shakes his head. “I’m happy to follow Cap’s lead.”  
You huff and begin to untangle yourself from Nat and Bucky. They move so you can turn to face Sam.   
“You are a hero Sam Wilson,” you tell him. “You are brave and kind-hearted and a good friend.”  
He cocks his head, his lips twisting in an unsure smile. Before he can protest, you lean forward and kiss his lips. They are warm and soft and he doesn’t flinch away. You look at him earnestly.   
“There are few really good men, but you are among the best.”  
He evades your gaze, almost bashfully.  
Nat moves to put her arms around his shoulders and presses a kiss to his cheek.  
“She’s right,” she adds.   
He turns towards her, her face still close to his and looks at her as if it’s the first time.   
“You didn’t expect that, did you?” she asks with a cheeky grin.   
“No, I really didn’t,” he replies. His eyes are fixed on her lips and you keep still, not wanting to disturb this moment. Sam brushes his nose against Nat’s and it’s her turn to be surprised. Then her smile becomes more teasingly, and she looks up at him through her lashes. His arm snakes around her hips and he pulls her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She leans into it and kisses him back. You have to suppress a giddy sound of happiness and turn to Bucky. He’s looking surprised, but when wrap your arms around him and press your lips to his, he practically melts against you. He pulls you closer and deepens the kiss. When you break away for air, he looks a bit stunned, but content. You turn to see that Nat is looking at you and you crawl over to kiss her, too. She welcomes you with open arms and her kiss is insistent and demanding. You feel Bucky move behind you and he peppers your back with kisses. Blindly you reach for Sam and he grasps your hand. When Nat’s mouth moves to your jaw, it doesn’t take a second before his lips capture yours. You begin to lose track of whose hands and lips are touching you, while you sink deeper into Sam’s kiss. Your hands find his shirt and he lets you strip it off. You press against his warm chest, craving the feeling of skin against skin.  
You hear Bucky gasp and it fills you with a wild joy, making your heart beat faster. From the cockpit, there’s the chirping sound of the perimeter alert, telling you that Steve is returning.   
A moment later the door opens, and Steve comes in, dripping wet. He looks a bit surprised at the heap of people, but quickly shuts the door.   
“It’s good you made yourselves comfortable here, there’s nothing around,” he says without missing a beat. “And the weather is abysmal.”  
You sense some tension leave Sam’s shoulders and hear Nat’s chuckle as you disentangle yourself from your friends and rise to help Steve strip out of his wet clothes. The combat suit normally keeps the wearer fairly dry, but he’s covered in mud and he doesn’t protest. He dries himself off and you pull him into the nest of blankets. He leans against Bucky and pulls you into his lap. Nat takes Sam’s hand and pulls him in, her back against yours.   
“You don’t seem surprised by such a warm welcome,” Sam says, a bit of his old nervousness returning.   
Steve smiles at him over yours and Nat’s shoulders.   
“I learned a long time ago that you have to love with all your heart, no matter what others say. It only grows when you share it and I won’t risk missing a moment with those I care about.”  
He exchanges a look with Bucky that tells its own story of loss and second chances. Bucky leans in and they share a kiss.  
“If this is too much for you, we can stop. I feel so much better already and I don’t want anybody to feel uncomfortable or pressured into anything,” you try to assure Sam. “I might have been a bit overenthusiastic.”  
Bucky laughs softly. “Yeah, you totally bullied us into this terrible situation.”  
You pout at him and he leans forward to kiss you. Sam chuckles and you just know he’s shaking his head and rubbing his neck.   
“This is not how I pictured this mission to go at all, but I can’t think of a better way to wait out a thunderstorm.”  
“Enough talking,” Nat decides and there’s no protest.


End file.
